Business ideas can strike from anywhere. For Gautami Agarwal it was her personal struggle that helped her see a gap in the Indian skincare market, and kick-started her entrepreneurial journey. Here’s Gautami Agarwal’s complete story behind building her beauty brand SKÖG.
What inspire Gautami to start her own Skincare Brand
Gautami’s passion for skincare stems from her personal challenges with extremely sensitive skin. Growing up, she struggled for long to find right products that would suit her, and this made her explore natural solutions and DIY remedies for herself. This coupled with her travels across Europe for her work, gave her a chance to explore local ingredients from there and observe their effects. Her success with these natural ingredients and remedies didn’t go unnoticed as her friends and colleagues sought her formulations, sparking the idea to create a skincare line.
The spark of the idea lit in her mind, Gautami went on to expand her understanding about skincare formulations based on her experience. And, this led to the launch of her skincare brand SKÖG, meaning "forest" in Swedish and Icelandic. Rooted in India, the brand blends Scandinavian minimalism with Indian sensibilities, focusing on simple formulations that deliver real results.
Another thing that inspired Gautami to take a plunge into launching her own brand was the dissatisfaction she faced with the available products in the market. While researching, whether for personal use or for her entrepreneurial journey, she found that even the natural, organic certified products on the market didn’t live up to their promises. She also felt that the beauty industry has been flooded with greenwashing, offering long ingredient lists and too much fluff. So, she wanted to make skincare simple, natural and result-driven for others, just like she found for herself.
What makes SKÖG Stand Apart in the Competitive Market
SKÖG is all about bringing customers simple formulations by using ethically sourced, high quality natural ingredients. For Gautami, clean beauty is not just a trend; it’s a philosophy. The brand’s USP lies in its toxin-free, PETA-certified, cruelty-free, and vegan formulations, which exclude unnecessary additives. They use unique ingredients from around the globe, like Swedish birch sap, arctic berries, french vine grapes, Bakuchiol, etc. The ingredients are carefully selected for their natural potency, ensuring that you get skincare that’s both luxurious and accessible, with real results.
What all Products you will find at SKÖG
Gautami offers you a wide range of skincare and haircare products. On their website you will find under eye repair oil, lip care oil, face serums, creams, facial cleansers, masks, sunscreens, and body oils and lotions. In the hair care category, they have hair oils and hair serums. Their best-selling products include - Under Eye Repair Oil, Super Hair Repair, and Clarifying & Brightening Serum.
With products priced between Rs. 500 and Rs. 1300, SKÖG ensures that clean beauty is accessible to everyone, a key differentiator in a market often dominated by expensive luxury brands.
What Challenges has Gautami Overcome & Her Significant Achievements
Like any entrepreneurial journey, Gautami’s path was riddled with challenges. Transitioning from Europe to the Indian market required a steep learning curve. Understanding the Indian consumer’s preferences, addressing price sensitivity, and maintaining quality were significant hurdles for her when she started. Additionally, hiring the right team was a common yet taxing struggle.
Despite these obstacles, Gautami’s adaptability and willingness to pivot allowed her to navigate these challenges effectively. By staying grounded and focusing on the bigger picture, she built a brand that resonates with consumers across diverse markets.
With constant efforts, Gautami has made SKÖG reach some significant milestones. The brand’s products are available on prominent platforms like Nykaa, Tata Cliq Luxury, Myntra, and Tira, and even at the IGI Airport in New Delhi. SKÖG has also earned accolades internationally. Their Cedarwood/Petitgrain Body Oil and Under Eye Repair Oil won the Best Beauty Buys Award in Singapore; and their Birch Sap Facial Cleanser won the Beauty & Wellness Award by Beauty Insiders in Singapore.
What is Gautami’s Mission, Vision & Future Plans
Gautami’s mission is to redefine beauty standards by offering products that nourish the skin while respecting the environment. Gautami envisions a future where clean beauty becomes the norm rather than the exception. Which is why; making her affordable, natural products widely accessible to all is something she is working towards. She has also recently launched another skincare brand called STRÖME, catering to the European market with the same sustainable and eco-friendly approach.
What is Gautami’s Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
As someone whose own entrepreneurial journey started unexpectedly, out of her own personal struggles, Gautami strongly believes in the value of continuous learning. She emphasizes the importance of understanding every aspect of one’s business, continuous learning, and maintaining a work-life balance. In the end she wants to say to all aspiring entrepreneurs, “There is never a right time to get started, just go for it and you will find a way. Most importantly, don't forget to have fun. Work is a part of life, it is not life.”
Through her personal struggle of extremely sensitive skin, Gautami not only helped herself by finding solutions that helped her, but also started her own entrepreneurial journey. Find Gautami’s profile on Women Listed, where you can see all her links and reach out to her.
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